Cooler



March 10, 1964 w. H. BYRNE ETAL METHOD ANDI APPARATUS FOR GENERATING COMBUSTIBLE GAS Filed Jan. 21, 1960 cooLER scRuBBER INVENTORS WILLIAM H. BYRNE JOHN H. SADLER ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,124,435 WETHUD AND APPARATUS FR GENERATDJG COMBUSTNLE GAS William H. Byrne, 47-21 41st St., Long Island City,

NX., and John H. Sadler, Bolton, Conn. (Lakeside Lane, RED. 1, Vernon, Conn.)

Filed Ilan. 21, `1960, Ser. No. 3,810 4 Claims. (Cl. 13S-105) This invention relates to gas generators, and more particularly, concerns methods and apparatus for converting liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons into combustible or otherwise useful gaseous products.

While attempts have been made to convert petroleum hydrocarbons such as bunker oil, kerosene and the like, into fixed gas or other gaseous products; such attempts have involved complicated and extensive equipment, requiring substantial capital investment to employ the same. Also, suggested procedures in many cases are somewhat intermittent in operation due to coking or other phenomena which interferes with the continuous operation of the system.

Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide an improved method of cracking liquid hydrocarbons into valuable gaseous products, utilizing simple, relatively inexpensive apparatus which is adapted to operate on a continuous basis without coking.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of converting bunker oil or kerosene into combustible gases such as fixed gas, or unsaturated hydrocarbons.

A further object of this invention is to provide an irnproved method of converting liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons directly into substantially sulfur-free gaseous products.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of converting liquid hydrocarbons into gaseous products using a cracking catalyst so disposed in relation to a cracking or conversion zone, as to permit long usage of the catalyst without contamination or need for regeneration; thereby avoiding the need for periodic removal or regeneration of the catalyst.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

ln the drawing, the figure is a diagrammatic representation of the apparatus embodying the invention, shown in vertical section.

ln accordance with the instant invention, various liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons, such as petroleum residues, heavy oils, kerosene and the like, as well as hydrocarbon oils of non-petroleum origin, may be cracked or converted under conditions which result in the production of fixed gas of high Btu. value, or if desired, other gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethylene, or the like. Thus, bunker oil No. 6 may be liquefied to provide the feed for the process of the invention, or such feed may be in the form of kerosene or the like.

lt has been found that coking or other adverse phenomena are avoided in the instant process, thereby maintaining continuity of operation over extended periods of time: when the feed is preliminarily admixed with water to provide a substantially emulsified product; when such product is successively fed to a catalytic chamber and separately to a conversion chamber; the conversion chamber having a predetermined cross sectional configuration.

Thus, as shown in the ligure, the gas generator embodying the invention is shown at 10. The same comprises essentially a combustion chamber or furnace 11, which may be lined with refractory material in a manner known in the art; a conversion chamber l2 within the furnace; and a catalytic chamber 13 disposed externally of, and adjacent to, conversion chamber 12.

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The furnace 11 is provided with an opening 14 in its top wall 15; a flue outlet 16 in its side wall 17; and a burner 18 adjacent its bottom wall 19. The conversion chamber 12 takes the form of a tapered tubular member 20 which is suspended in a vertical position within furnace 11.

Tubular member 20 is formed of a suitable steel alloy and may have a length of about 5 feet, a diameter of about 2.5 inches at its upper end and a diameter of about .5 inches at its lower end. Member 20 is provided with a flange 21 at its upper end for seating on marginal portions of furnace wall 15 at opening 14 therein. Thus member Ztl is removably suspended within furnace 11.

The catalyst chamber 13 comprises a tubular member 22 having a flanged inlet 23 and a flanged outlet 24. An outlet line Z5 extends from outlet 24 and passes through the wall of member 2t) adjacent the lower end 26 thereof. An inlet line 27 extends from inlet 23 in several coils about the upper end of member 2t? and then upwardly through flange 2.1 thereof.

A water line 28 is located adjacent member 2G, with its upper inlet end projecting through flange 2l and its lower outlet end terminating in a nozzle 29 which projects into the lower end 26 of member Ztl. An outlet member Btl is bolted to flange 21 of member Ztl, with a product line 31 extending from member 30 for connection with a scrubber 32 and a cooler 33.

inlet line 27 is supplied with a feed of liquid or liquefied hydrocarbon which is to be converted into gas, by a supply line 34. Water is preliminarily admixed with the feed by means of line 35; the mixture in substantially emulsified form, passing by a common line 36, to inlet line 27.

The burner 1S is adapted to raise the temperature of furnace 11 to a desired cracking or pyrolytic temperature which may range from about 1000 to about 2000 F. The burner 18 may be fueled with gas or the like. The water passing through line 28 is converted into superheated steam at such temperatures and is injected at the nozzle 29 for admixture with the feed from line 25.

The catalyst chamber 22 is filled with a granular catalyst such as coke, Carborundum or the like. However, other cracking catalysts known in the art may also be used, including metallic oxides.

Upon mixing from 2.5 to 4.0 parts of water with 1.0 part of liquefied bunker C oil, all by volume, by way of lines 34, 35, 36 and passing the emulsion through catalytic chamber 22 and into conversion chamber 12 where superheated steam is injected by nozzle 29, there is produced in chamber 12 a fixed gas of high B.t.u. value. The gas is recovered by way of product line 31 and after passing through scrubber 32 and cooler 33, is stored in gas holders, not shown.

It was found that the gaseous products recovered were singularly free of sulfur, thereby eliminating the need for usual sulfur separation procedures. Furthermore, with suit-able control of the cracking temperatures within furnace 11 `and selection of the feed, the chemical and combustion characteristics of the recovered gas products may be determined. Thus, the feed may be cracked to form products which may predominate in methane, ethane, ethylene or the like.

The furnace lil may be of a size to accommodate a single conversion chamber 12, or may be enlarged to hold a plurality of such conversion chambers, which may be suitably interconnected by manifold means for both inlet and outlet lines. With a ratio of about 5 :1 for the diameters of the conversion chamber 12 at the upper and lower ends thereof, a chamber length of about 5 feet was found highly effective. However, it is understood that such diameter ratios and lengths may be varied to suit a particular feed or selected operating conditions.

'The products of combustion from burner 18 in furnace 11 iare removed by 'Way of flue outlet 16. It will be apparent that conversion chamber 12, together with its catalytic chamber 13 and steam line 28, may be removed as a unit from the furnace 11, by unbolting the several flange connections. However, it has been rfound that with the system disclosed herein, the gas producing operation may be continued over long periods of time Without coking or other adverse reactions which might otherwise interfere with continuity of operation of the system. Furthermore, the coke or other catalyst in chamber 13 does not require periodic regeneration to assure optimum conversion of the liquid hydrocarbon feed into gaseous products.

As various changes might be made in the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed without departing from the spirit thereof, it is understood -that all matter herein shown or described is illustrative `and not limiting except as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed our invention, we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent:

1. The method of converting liquid hydrocarbons into gaseous products comprising emulsifying a liquid hydrocarbon with water, passing the emulsion only through a catalytic zone land then into the lower end of a vertically disposed conversion Zone, said conversion zone having a cross section progressively increasing from the lower terminal end and having a diameter of about 0.5" to the upper terminal end thereof with the ratio of the diameters at said lower and upper terminal ends of about 1 to 5 for a conversion zone length of about feet, injecting superbe-ated steam into the lower end of said conversion zone, heating the catalytic Aand conversion zones at pyrolytic temperatures, and withdrawing gaseous products from the upper terminal end of said conversion zone.

2. Apparatus for converting liquid hydrocarbons into gaseous products comprising means for mixing hydrocarbon feed with water to form an emulsiiied product, a catalytic chamber, means for passing said emulsied product only through said catalytic chamber, a vertically disposed conversion chamber tapering from the upper terminal end thereof -to the lower terminal end thereof, the diameters of the upper and lower terminal ends of said conversion chamber being about 2.5" and 0.5" respectively and the length of said conversion chamber being `about 24 times the diameter of the upper terminal end of said conversion chamber, means connecting the lower terminal end of said conversion chamber with said catalytic chamber for passing the catalyzed emulsied product to said conversion chamber, means `for injecting -superheated steam int-o the lower end of said conversion chamber, means for heating said chambers to pyrolytic temperatures, and means for removing gaseous products from the upper terminal end of said conversion chamber.

3. A gas generator comprising a combustion chamber, a conical, vertically disposed` conversion chamber within said combustion chamber, said conversion chamber being upwardly divergent between its lower and upper terminal ends, the diameters of the -lower and upper terminal ends being about 0.5 `and 2.5 respectively with the length of said conversion chamber being about 5 feet, a catalyst chamber located externally of said conversion chamber and within said combustion chamber, means Ifor supplying an emulsion of liquid hydrocarbon and water to said catalyst chamber, means for passing said emulsion from said catalyst chamber to the lower end of said conversion charnber, means for introducing superheated steam into the lower end of said conversion chamber, means within said combustion chamber for maintaining said catalytic and conversion chambers at pyrolytic temperatures for cracking said emulsion, `and means for removing gaseous products directly `from the upper terminal end of said conversion chamber.

4. A method of converting liquid hydrocarbons to gaseous products comprising emulsifying from about 2.5 to about 4.0 parts `of water with 1.0 part of liquid hydrocarbon, all by volume, passing the emulsion through a granular catalyst bed land then through a vertically disposed conical conversion chamber having la length of about 5 feet which diverges from the lower terminal end thereof with a diameter of about 0.5" upwardly to the upper terminal end thereof with a diameter of about 2.5, introducing superheated steam into the lower end of said conversion chamber or contact with the incoming catalyzed emulsion, maintaining said catalyst bed and conversion chamber at a temperature of from about 1G00 to about 2000" F., and removing gaseous products yfrom the upper terminal end of said conversion chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 277,567 Hayden May 15, 1883 2,524,840 Shapleigh Oct. 10, 1950 2,607,671 Van Heeckeren etal. Aug. 19, 1952 `2,700,598 Odell Jau. 25, 1955 2,702,743 Totzek Feb. 22, 1955 2,702,744 Totzek lFeb. 22, 1955 2,705,193 Francis `Mar. 29, 1955 2,744,814 Francis May 8, 1956 2,772,954 Iequier Dec. 4, 1956 2,809,104 Strasser et al Oct. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 688,915 Great Britain Mar. 18, 1953 

2. APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS INTO GASEOUS PRODUCTS COMPRISING MEANS FROM MIXING HYDROCARBON FEED WITH WATER TO FORM AN EMULSIFIED PRODUCT, A CATALYTIC CHAMBER, MEANS FOR PASSING SAID EMULSIFIED PRODUCT ONLY THROUGH SAID CATALYTIC CHAMBER, VERTICALLY DISPOSED CONVERSION CHAMBER TAPERING FROM THE UPPER TERMINAL END THEREOF TO THE LOWER TERMINAL END THEREOF, THE DIAMETERS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER TERMINAL ENDS OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER BEING ABOUT 2.5" AND 0.5" RESPECTIVELY AND THE LENGTH OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER BEING ABOUT 24 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF THE UPPER TERMINAL END OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER, MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER TERMINAL END OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER WITH SAID CATALYTIC CHAMBER FOR PASSING THE CATALYZED EMULSIFIED PRODUCT TO SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INJECTING SUPERHEATED STEAM INTO THE LOWER END OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER, MEANS FOR HEATING SAID CHAMBERS TO PYROLYTIC TEMPERATURES, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING GASEOUS PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER TERMINAL END OF SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER. 